Ford Motor Co. unveiled the sixth-generation pony car Thursday morning in Dearborn, Mich. as part of a six-city, four-continent global unveiling. Other cities included New York; Los Angeles; Barcelona; Shanghai and Sydney.

Ford Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields was head of ceremonies for the Motor City unveiling, as Ford CEO and president Alan Mulally debuted the vehicle in the Big Apple. Fields shared stories of his first Mustang memories before unveiling the sixth-generation vehicle, which he suggested is a classic Mustang for a new generation.

"Our designers and engineers spent a lot of time going back through the history of Mustang, and looking at those design cues from the past, and interpreted that for a car for today," Fields said during the unveiling at Ford's Conference and Events Center.

Ford said the 2015 Mustang should go into production by mid-next year at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan and be available in U.S. showrooms in fall 2014. Fields said the Dearborn-based automaker is doing a staggered global release, with the vehicle arriving in global markets, including Europe and Asia, through 2015.

The iconic pony car features a sleeker design with a lower, wider stance and bolder dual grille. It's definitely a Mustang, but features new design cues and technologies -- from LED lights to integral-link independent rear suspension.

J Mays, Ford chief creative officer and design vice president, said both the engineering and design teams made sure to pay tribute to Mustang's 50-year heritage, while moving the vehicle forward.

"You look at this silhouette, what you see here, it's a bloodline," he said. "It runs back and courses through the veins of every Mustang back to 1964 and a half.

"There are in valuables that make this car a Mustang."

Mays pointed out the shark-nose front facia, long hood, fastback profile and short rear deck as a few examples. Ford also opted to keep the tri-bar taillamps with sequential turn signals, but added a new three-dimensional design.

Speculation about the vehicle's design possibly being too smooth, or "European" have been going on for months, as Ford plans to sell the vehicle in its global markets.

Fields said the Mustang, which is on an all-new platform, may be driving into markets around the world, but its heritage and reputation will always be American.

"First and foremost, the inspiration for the vehicle was the Mustang, and the heritage of the Mustang -- in-particular the first-generation Mustangs," he said. "And whenever you have to work on an icon of the company, it's a mixture of tremendous pride and honor and a little bit of angst because there's a lot of responsibility because when you come out with it you want people to know that is the new Mustang."

Besides the vehicle's new design, rumor mills online were swirling with what engines Ford would offer in the vehicle, which made a name for itself in the 60s and 70s for its sporty styling and V8 engine performance.

The 2015 Mustang will be offered with three engine options, including a standard 3.7-liter V6 with at least 300 horsepower and 270 lb.ft. of torque, according to Ford. The other two options include a 5.0-liter V8 with upgraded valvetrain and cylinder heads that yield more than 420 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque and an all-new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine.

Every 2015 Ford Mustang engine features at least 300HPFord Executive Director North American Engineering Ford Davis talks about the 2015 Mustang's engine lineup. The 2015 Mustang will be offered with three engine options, including a standard 3.7-liter V6 with at least 300 horsepower and 270 lb.ft. of torque, according to Ford. The other two options include a 5.0-liter V8 with upgraded valvetrain and cylinder heads that yield more than 420 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque and an all-new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine.

"They will be the most-powerful and most-fuel efficient engine lineup ever," said Ford Executive Director North American Engineering Frank Davis. "All of the engines will deliver more than 300 horsepower."

Davis said the EcoBoost engine will meet "every element of the Ford Mustang DNA."

The V6 is the only carryover engine from the fifth-generation Mustang. With the enhancements to the V8, Ford also increased the top speed of the vehicle to 155 miles per hour from 144 mph.

The Mustang's No. 1 rival, the Chevrolet Camaro, comes standard with a 3.6-liter V6 engine certified at 323 horsepower. An optional 6.2-liter V8 is capable of up to 426 horsepower.

Since the first Mustang was unveiled at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964, Ford has produced more than 9.2 million of the vehicles. It was originally named after the legendary P51 Mustang fighter plane from World War II. The price at launch was $2,368.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the original Ford Mustang and each 2015 model celebrates the milestone with a badge on the instrument panel that includes the galloping pony logo and the words "Mustang -- Since 1964."

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